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Larrier
Wanderers of Ealdremen, the larrier historically migrated with the seasons all throughout their home planet of Estvoled. In the modern day, many of them have settled into complicated travel paths that bring them across fields of stars and to distant planets' shores in pursuit of warm waters. While some larrier choose to remain settled and do not stray from where they were born, even these larrier may feel the call of the wanderlust their people are known for. The tides go in, the tides go out, and the larrier are meant to follow. Etymology and Other Names Larrier is derived from a Yaux term roughly meaning season-wanderer, referring to the larrier tendency to change their homes and travels based on the environment and the seasons. Nlegaul, Wiraul, and Dishaux -- other languages commonly associated with the larrier -- have similar significances in their term for the larrier race as a whole, but tend to be more specific. Interestingly, Nlegaul and Dishaux both call them chinarier; though the pronunciations vary between the languages, the term means summer-wanderer. ''This is contrasted with Wiraul's ''telarriej, which means winter-wanderer. Although both words call attention to larrier seasonal migrations, the season of focus varies. The prolific nature of the larrier means that they historically brought their own words for themselves and their cultural concepts with them wherever they went. Though many languages through Ealdremen use the Standard term, larrier, others may have derivatives originally based on more specific larrier words, such as Nicta-slio's word for the race being telliaggio, seemingly based on the Wiraul word for the race. Biology The bodies of larrier are nigh-universally slim and streamlined for aquatic life; they have little visible muscle and flexible limbs for maneuvering around in the water. A larrier's shoulder joints are particularly noteworthy for allowing the larrier's arms to rotate almost completely around in a full circle, which many larrier use to hold their arms completely parallel to their bodies as their torsos twist and turn through the currents. Their bodies do not have pronounced waists, and they do not have broad shoulders, which gives them a distinctive tube-like silhouette, though their long tails are much more thin than the rest of the larrier's body. The tail tapers dramatically towards the tip, its thick base allowing the larrier to use it to steer in the water. Larrier have round faces with short, but pronounced muzzles. From the front, their heads may appear to be perfectly round. Though they have broad noses, larrier can close their nostrils without much conscious effort; similarly, their long ears can flatten completely against their heads and have a narrow flap of skin that can close off the ear canal from excess water. Some larrier have shorter ears that are a couple of inches long and tend to flop over at the top when on land; other larrier have much longer ears that droop towards their shoulders. Larrier do not have much cartilage in their ears beyond the base, and their ears cannot stand upright on their own, though they may still swivel and twitch when listening to sounds. The hands and feet of a larrier are webbed, with only the last joint of every digit free from the webbing. Their fur is typically thickest around their hands, but most larrier have thick fur all across their body. On land, their fur may seem to be glossy and even smooth to the touch, but water reveals the thick waterproof layers of fur that protect the larrier from the most bitter of winters and deep sea travel. A minority of larrier have shorter fur, typically concordant with having solid body colors as well. Such individuals are mostly descended from generations of larrier that mostly inhabited freshwater regions and migrated through rivers rather than oceans; ocean-born larrier, however, have lighter undersides and sometimes light-colored faces, and their eyes are also wider with larger pupils than their river cousins, allowing them to see in the dim light of the arctic seas where they make their homes. Sociology While not every larrier has a truly transient lifestyle, they are often seen far from home for one reason or another. They tend to look for faraway opportunities both on a day-to-day basis and across a broader life perspective. Home, to a larrier, is somewhere that is secure and familiar, and typically known inside-and-out. For deeper, more enriching experiences, or simply to find more favorable circumstances, some traveling must be done. Even the temporary homes of migratory larrier are usually evaluated for their potential danger before they settle in. Larrier instill a belief in their children that an unsafe home is not one at all, as every journey must have a returning point. When it comes to a home, larrier are unlikely to take risks even if it means sacrificing something else such as money, and this reluctance towards danger can be seen in their migration styles as well. They usually follow traditional paths established by others -- often their own ancestors -- and are usually not wont to stray from these tried-and-true roads, and they rarely travel alone for similar reasons. Even for short trips, a larrier will usually have someone accompanying them, often performing various safety rituals instilled in them by their families. Traditionally, larrier maintain a two-part surname that reflects one part from each of their parents. The larrier mindset towards group relations means they also believe that families are central to group security and childrearing, also giving rise to monogamy featuring heavily in their romantic relationships and an expectation that such relationships will endure regardless of the trials they may face. Because many larrier feel that a child needs a stable home above all else, they also often place high expectations on the child's parents. Though all members of a group, especially in migratory ones, will contribute to a child's well-being, larrier tend to view the child's parents as responsible for providing not only for the child's physical needs, but for the child's education as well. Larrier historically have had a rich oral culture of not only stories, but superstitions meant to provide good fortune and rituals to ensure future safety. These cultural artifacts are passed down from the parents to the child, and larrier may view a child with only one parent or no parents at all as being deprived of key development. The security of a group is palpable throughout larrier culture, and their more permanent societies reflect the migratory sense of providing for everyone in the group and sharing limited resources fairly. It is rare for a typical larrier to focus much on an individual's accomplishments and what they deserve for them; rare is an achievement truly a solitary effort, and they believe that everyone should benefit from Larrier governments most often focus on having everyone's opinion heard; from informal governing in migratory groups to seats in the Veriol Council it is sometimes thought that transient larrier may have served as an inspiration for the Veriol Alliance's approach to fulfilling the needs of the many nations that comprise it. Racial Traits (D&D 3.5e/Pathfinder) Larrier tend to be reluctant to remain in one place for too long, even in the throes of conflict. At the end of their turn, a larrier can Wanderlust Drift, placing themselves in an adjacent space that is not occupied and that is not blocked by solid matter, without provoking attacks of opportunity. If the larrier moves through or into a hazardous obstacle, they are still affected by it as normal. The larrier may Wanderlust Drift a number of times equal to their character level each day. At character level 10th, the larrier may move up to 10ft through Wanderlust Drift. From their Seafaring, larrier have +2 Swim and gain a swim speed of 40ft. They can take 10 on Swim checks even when distracted or threatened, and they can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to six times their Constitution modifier (minimum six rounds) before needing to make checks relating to holding their breath. Their Worldly Traveler ability gives them +2 Knowledge (Geography). Category:Ealdremen Races